Editing Kang the Conqueror (section)

==Fictional character biography==
===Pre-Kang===
'''Nathaniel Richards''', a 31st-century scholar and descendant of [[Mister Fantastic|Reed Richards]]'s time traveling father [[Nathaniel Richards (Marvel Comics)|Nathaniel]], becomes fascinated with history and discovers the time travel technology created by [[Doctor Doom|Victor von Doom]], another possible ancestor of his.<ref>Mentioned in ''The Avengers'' #11 (Dec. 1964). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref><ref>''Fantastic Four'' #273. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> He then travels back in time to ancient [[Egypt]] aboard a Sphinx-shaped timeship and reinvents himself as '''Pharaoh Rama-Tut''', with plans to claim En Sabah Nur—the [[Mutant (Marvel Comics)|mutant]] destined to become [[Apocalypse (comics)|Apocalypse]]—as his heir.<ref>''The Rise of Apocalypse'' #1–4 (Oct. 1996 – Jan. 1997). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> The pharaoh's rule is cut short when he is defeated by the time-displaced [[Fantastic Four]].<ref name="FF4">''Fantastic Four'' #19 (Sep. 1963). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> An embittered Nathaniel Richards travels forward to the 20th century where he meets [[Doctor Doom]], whom he believes might be his ancestor.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' Annual #2</ref> He later designs an armor based on Doom's and, calling himself the '''Scarlet Centurion''', pits the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]] team against alternate-reality counterparts. He plans to dispose of all of them, but the Avengers manage to force him from the timeline,<ref>''The Avengers'' Annual #2 (September 1968). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> where a divergent version of him becomes '''Victorex Prime''', [[archenemy]] of the [[Squadron Supreme]].<ref>''[[Squadron Supreme]]'' #2 (October 1985). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

Nathaniel then tries to return to the 31st century, but overshoots by a thousand years, discovering that humanity has ruined the Earth through endless conflict using advanced weapons they no longer understand. He finds it simple to conquer the planet, expanding his dominion throughout the galaxy, and reinvents himself as '''Kang the Conqueror'''. But this future world is dying, and so he decides to take over an earlier, more fertile Earth.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brevoort |first1=Tom |last2=DeFalco |first2=Tom |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=Sanderson |first4=Peter |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |title=Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History |date=2017 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1465455505 |page=101}}</ref><ref name="aven8">''Avengers'' #8 (Sep. 1964). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

===Early appearances and Ravonna===
On Nathaniel's first foray into the 20th century under the Kang identity, he meets and battles the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]], capturing everyone but the [[Wasp (character)|Wasp]] and [[Rick Jones (character)|Rick Jones]], and informs the world that they have 24 hours to surrender to him. Jones and some friends pretend they want to help Kang, but double-cross him once they gain access to his ship, and the Avengers are freed. In an attempt to stop them, Kang releases radiation that only beings from his time are immune to, but Thor uses his hammer to absorb the rays and send them back at the warlord so even he cannot withstand it, and he is forced to escape.<ref name="aven8"/> He later attempts to defeat the Avengers using a [[Spider-Man]] robot, but the real Spider-Man destroys it.<ref>''The Avengers'' #11 (Dec. 1964). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

In his own time, Kang falls for the princess of one of his subject kingdoms, [[Ravonna]], who does not return his feelings. In an attempt to demonstrate his power, he kidnaps the Avengers and, after several escape attempts on their part, subdues them and the rebellious kingdom with the help of his army. When Kang refuses to execute Ravonna, his commanders revolt and he frees the Avengers to fight with him against them. They successfully subdue them, but not before Ravonna is mortally wounded when she leaps in front of a blast meant for Kang, realizing she does love him after all. Kang returns the Avengers to their present,<ref>''The Avengers'' #23–24 (Dec. 1965–Jan. 1966). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> and places Ravonna's body in stasis.

Kang appears in modern-day as he attempts to retrieve a rogue Growing Man construct who is growing larger with every blow. Both Thor and the police are not able to subdue the giant, until Kang appears from a time machine disguised as a boulder. He fires a ray, shrinking and subduing the Growing Man to doll-sized so he can be "re-hidden".<ref>''Thor'' #140. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> He later reactivates the Growing Man to kidnap an incapacitated Tony Stark and draw the Avengers into his game, though the purpose is not revealed. Thor fails to keep Kang from escaping into the time-stream.<ref>''The Avengers'' #69. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

In hopes of restoring his love to life, Kang enters a wager with the cosmic entity [[Grandmaster (Marvel Comics)|Grandmaster]], using the Avengers as pawns in a game which, if won, can temporarily grant him power over life and death.<ref>''The Avengers'' #69–71 (Oct. 1969–Dec. 1969). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> The first round ends in stalemate when an unaware [[Black Knight (Dane Whitman)|Black Knight]] intervenes and prevents a clear victory by the Avengers, although the team definitively wins the second round. Due to the first round's stalemate, Kang does not earn the power of both life and death but is forced to choose. He selects the power of death over the Avengers, but is stopped by the Black Knight, who, not being an Avenger at the time, is unaffected.<ref>''The Avengers'' #71 (Dec. 1969). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

Next Kang kidnaps the Hulk and sends him to 1917 France to kill the [[Phantom Eagle]] before he can save Bruce Banner's grandfather from a cannon. This would prevent the Hulk from existing and consequently, the formation of the Avengers. However, the Hulk destroys the cannon which sends him back to the present while Kang is projected into the Limbo.<ref>''The Incredible Hulk'' vol. 2 #135 (Jan. 1971). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

===The Celestial Madonna===
Some time later Kang reappears at Avengers Mansion seeking the "Celestial Madonna", who turns out to be [[Mantis (Marvel Comics)|Mantis]], desiring to marry her as she is apparently destined to have a powerful child. The heroes are aided by a future version of Kang, who, tired of conquest, had returned to ancient Egypt and his identity of Rama-Tut, ruling benevolently for ten years before placing himself in suspended animation to revive in the 20th century, desiring to counsel and change his younger self. While Kang is successfully foiled, Rama-Tut is unable to prevent the accidental death of [[Swordsman (character)|Swordsman]].<ref name="Celestial Madonna">''The Avengers'' #129 and ''Avengers Giant-Size'' #2 (Nov. 1974). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> During an adventure in Limbo, it is revealed that [[Immortus]] is the future incarnation of both Kang and Rama-Tut.<ref>''Giant-Size Avengers'' #3 (Feb. 1975). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

While attempting to travel to the time of the Crusades, [[Hawkeye (Clint Barton)|Hawkeye]] accidentally comes across Kang, sending both to the Old West. The warlord begins to develop a stronghold to conquer the 19th century, thus also conquering the present. Aided this time by Immortus, the Avengers, with some assistance from the [[Two-Gun Kid]], confront Kang. While trying to muster the strength to defeat Thor, Kang overloads his armor and destroys himself, apparently erasing Immortus and Rama-Tut from existence.<ref>''The Avengers'' #141–143 (Nov. 1975–Jan. 1976). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

===Prime Kang and creation of alternate selves===
Years later, the [[Beyonder]] plucks a living Kang from the timestream to participate on the villains' side in the first of the [[Secret Wars]].<ref>''Secret Wars'' #1–12 (May 1984 – April 1985). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> Soon after, it is revealed that while Kang had indeed died, his constant time-traveling had created a number of alternate Kangs. The Kang to discover this had been drawn to Limbo after his time-travel vehicle was destroyed by Thor. Finding Immortus' remains inside his fortress, Kang assumes the "Lord of Time" to be deceased and discovers the alternate versions of himself using viewing devices he finds, although he does not realize that Immortus is also a version of himself. At one point, he brings Ravonna to Limbo from the moment before her death, unintentionally creating an alternate reality where he was slain. Determined to be the only Kang, he joins with two particularly cunning divergents whom he determines he cannot easily eliminate, the three forming a council that systematically destroys the other alternate versions. He destroys one of the other two Kangs, then brings in the Avengers as part of a plot to destroy the other one, although the latter Kang eventually discovers the plot. This Kang is delayed by Ravonna, who tells him that if he truly loves her he must not kill the first Kang, but he ignores her, goes after him anyway, and is destroyed. Immortus then reveals he faked his death and manipulated everything from behind the scenes. Now only the one "Prime" Kang remains, who Immortus tricks into absorbing the memories of all the slain Kangs, which drives him insane. Immortus then sends the Avengers back to their own timeline.<ref>''The Avengers'' #267–269 (May–July 1986). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

This Kang diverges into two alternate Kangs,<ref name="forever9">''Avengers Forever'' #9. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> and one is invited to join the Crosstime Kang Corps (or the "Council of Cross-Time Kangs"), which consists of a wide range of Kangs from multiple timelines who are searching for a [[Celestial (comics)|Celestial]] "Ultimate Weapon". This Kang calls himself "Fred" (by his own admission a humorous nod to [[Fred Flintstone]], with a prehistoric name being appropriate for a time-traveler) and has a brief encounter with the Avengers while trying to stop "Nebula" (later retconned to be Ravonna in disguise) from interfering with a timeline.<ref name="Council">''The Avengers'' #291–297 (May–Nov. 1988). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> The '''Prime Kang''', having recovered, then attempts to manipulate the Avengers from a time vortex,<ref>''The Avengers'' #300 (Feb. 1989). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> and encounters the Fantastic Four in a bid to capture Mantis and use her to defeat a Celestial and the other Kangs,<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #323–325 (Feb.–Apr. 1989). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> and "Fred" is incinerated by a Nebula-possessed [[Human Torch]] during a later battle with the Fantastic Four.<ref name="Incinerated">''Fantastic Four'' #337–341 (Feb.–June 1990). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

===New Empire, ''Avengers Forever'', and ''Young Avengers''===
Later, the Prime Kang appears, captures the [[Vision (Marvel Comics)|Vision]], and battles both the Avengers and a new foe, Terminatrix, who is revealed to be a revived Ravonna. Kang is critically injured when he intercepts a blow from Thor's hammer [[Mjolnir (comics)|Mjolnir]] that was meant for his old love, who is distraught over his sacrifice and teleports away with him.<ref>''Captain America'' Annual #11; ''Thor'' Annual #17; ''Fantastic Four'' Annual #26 and ''The Avengers'' Annual #21 (1992). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> Terminatrix places Prime Kang in stasis to heal his injuries and assumes control of his empire. However, she finds the empire under attack by a chronal being called {{visible anchor|Alioth}} and is forced to summon the Avengers to assist. She revives Kang, who assists the Avengers in defeating Alioth, but not before allowing the entity to kill the entire Crosstime Kang Corps.<ref>''The Terminatrix Objective'' #1–4 (Sep.–Dec. 1993). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

In ''[[Avengers Forever]]'', flashbacks reveal that many of Kang's recent actions were motivated by more of a desire to do something rather than a genuine desire for power, and that Rama-Tut is his past and future self; feeling listless and trapped by the burdens of the empire he has created, Kang at one point returned to life as Rama-Tut for a more simple life where he did not have a vast empire to administer. However, as Kang prepares to become Rama-Tut once again and from there [[Immortus]], he glimpses the future and learns of Immortus's servitude to the [[Time-Keepers]] of the [[Time Variance Authority]], renewing his horror at the destiny that awaits him as that 'simpering academic'.<ref name="forever9"/> As a result, Kang rejects this future to the point of aiding the Avengers in protecting [[Rick Jones (character)|Rick Jones]] from Immortus's latest scheme.<ref>''Avengers Forever'' #1. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> When Immortus betrays the Time-Keepers to try and save the Avengers, they kill him and attempt to turn Kang into Immortus before Rama-Tut became Immortus. However, the temporal backlash of Kang's strength of will in a temporally unstable environment causes Immortus and Rama-Tut to split off from Kang, essentially making them  both clear alternate versions of Kang rather than Immortus being Kang's definitive future. With the weakened Time-Keepers destroyed, Kang rejoices in his freedom from the destiny of Immortus and Rama-Tut, as he has now technically become them while still being himself.<ref>''Avengers Forever'' #12. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

After some months, Kang embarks on an [[Kang Dynasty|ambitious scheme]] to conquer the Earth, this time aided by his son Marcus, who uses the "Scarlet Centurion" alias. Kang promises any who aid him on Earth a place in his new order, which puts Earth's defenses and the Avengers under strain as they fight off villain after villain. He then takes control of Earth's defense systems, and forces a surrender after destroying [[Washington, D.C.]], killing millions. The Avengers continue to battle the forces of Kang's new empire, and Captain America eventually defeats him in personal combat. Although imprisoned, Kang is freed by his son, revealed to be only one of a series of clones, and kills clone Marcus for betraying him by assisting [[Carol Danvers|Warbird]] during the invasion and keeping it secret despite multiple opportunities to admit the truth; while Kang could tolerate the treachery if it allowed Marcus to become his own man, he cannot tolerate a traitor who remains active in his ranks. Depressed at his new loss, Kang retreats from Earth.<ref>''The Avengers'' #41–55 (Jun. 2001–Aug. 2002); ''The Avengers Annual'' 2001. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

At some point, Kang travels back to his own past to prevent an incident where a confrontation with a bully left him in a coma for a year. Meeting his future self so horrifies Kang's past self that he steals Kang's armor and retreats to the past, using an emergency protocol created by the Vision to recruit a new team that comes to be known as the [[Young Avengers]]. The young Kang adopts the alias of '''[[Iron Lad]]'''. When Kang tracks his younger self to the past, the Young Avengers are able to kill him, but the subsequent changes to history force Iron Lad to return to his time and erase his memory of these events, although the Young Avengers remain as a team with Iron Lad's armor now self-operating with a consciousness based on an amalgamation of Iron Lad and the Vision.<ref>''Young Avengers'' #1-6. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

Kang travels the multiverse and recruits a number of individuals to save it.<ref>''Uncanny Avengers'' #14. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> He appears to the remaining members of the [[Uncanny Avengers|Avengers Unity Squad]] after Earth has been destroyed by a Celestial leaving only the mutants. Temporal barriers prevent Kang simply traveling back himself, but he is able to help the surviving Unity Squad members project their minds back into their past selves so that they can defeat the Celestial that attacked Earth.<ref>''Uncanny Avengers'' #19. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> Kang subsequently attempts to steal the Celestials' power for himself,<ref>''Uncanny Avengers'' #21. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> requiring [[Sunfire (comics)|Sunfire]] and Havok to put themselves at risk by absorbing some of his energy themselves so that they can force him to expend his stolen power.<ref>''Uncanny Avengers'' #22. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

===''Uncanny Inhumans'' and All-New, All-Different Marvel===
Before the [[Inhumans|Inhuman]] king [[Black Bolt]] destroys the city of Attilan to release Terrigen Mist throughout the world, he sends his son [[Ahura (comics)|Ahura]] away for Kang to foster. Black Bolt later releases a small amount of Terrigen Mist to activate Ahura's terrigenesis and activate his Inhuman ability. While Ahura is going through the change, Black Bolt asks Kang to save his son from the coming [[Secret Wars (2015 comic book)|end of all things]], which Kang agrees to on the condition that the son remain permanently in his care.<ref>''[[Uncanny Inhumans|The Uncanny Inhumans]]'' #0. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

While taunting the Inhumans' efforts to find Ahura,<ref>''The Uncanny Inhumans'' #1. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> another Kang emerges under the alias of "Mister Gryphon", claiming that he has become splintered into various alternate versions of himself as a result of recent temporal disruptions. With this Kang confined to the present, he mounts a massive assault on the Avengers with the aid of [[Equinox (comics)|Equinox]] and a reprogrammed Vision, intending to use [[Mjolnir (comics)|Mjolnir]]'s time-traveling ability to return to his era, but is defeated.<ref name="All-New All-Different Avengers #6">''All-New, All-Different Avengers'' #6. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

When Vision abducts Kang's infant self in an attempt to defeat him, the latter, split into increasingly divergent versions of himself by the fractured state of time, retaliates by attacking various Avengers in their infant states. A possible future version of Kang saves key Avengers from his past self's attack by bringing them into Limbo until Hercules acquires an amulet from a former Fate that protects him from Kang's assault. During a battle inside a temple in [[Vietnam]], the Wasp goes to place baby Kang back where he belongs. Kang is subsequently defeated.<ref>''The Avengers'' vol. 7 #1–6 (2016). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

During the "[[Infinity Countdown]]" storyline, Kang the Conqueror gains knowledge of the calamity that would come if the [[Infinity Gems]] were to be gathered in the same location again. To prevent this from occurring, he abducts Adam Warlock, convinces him to help secure the Soul Gem in exchange for the Time Gem, and sends him back in time to receive counsel from Kang's Rama-Tut counterpart.<ref>''Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock'' #1. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

===Fresh start and ''Kang the Conqueror'' solo series===
In the "Pottersville" arc of the ''[[Doctor Doom]]'' solo series, Kang is shown to be tethered to Doom in a quantum entanglement, appearing at random times throughout the series conversing with the Latverian despot.<ref>''Doctor Doom'' #1. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> This is later revealed to be a ploy by Kang, as by aiding Doom in saving the world Kang is actually making the world easier for himself to conquer in two hundred years' time.<ref>''Doctor Doom'' #5. [[Marvel Comics]].</ref> In the solo series ''[[Kang the Conqueror (comic book)|Kang the Conqueror]]'', Kang rewrites history by manipulating a younger version of him to go through all of his previous identities – Iron Lad, Scarlet Centurion, Pharaoh Rama-Tut, and finally Kang – into becoming the purest form of would-be conqueror, resurrecting [[Ravonna]] by giving her the ability of [[reincarnation]].<ref>''[[Kang the Conqueror (comic book)|Kang the Conqueror]]'' #1 (August 18, 2021). [[Marvel Comics]].</ref>

During the "[[Venom War]]" storyline, it is revealed that Kang the Conqueror created the Ruckus [[Symbiote (comics)|symbiote]] from a sample of [[Bedlam (comics)#Symbiote version|Bedlam]], a possible future version of [[Eddie Brock]].<ref>''Venom War'' #3. Marvel Comics.</ref>